The challenging history of organoid research and its implications for ontology and ethics

This document highlights some conceptual difficulties in the history of organoid research. We do not aim at writing a full history of organoid research, but at raising awareness of some conceptual difficulties when considering the dynamics of research. We sketch a standard narrative that presents organoids as a recent breakthrough in research. The conception of organoids as a recent breakthrough corresponds to a certain vision of history, and also a particular role for ethics. Beyond the standard narrative, different genealogies have been proposed for organoids. We suggest that these historical debates are dependent on current conceptual uncertainty in the scientific nomenclature and that these historical debates and nomenclatural uncertainty have implications for framing the ethical debate on organoid research.